"It takes one second to ruin a woman's life," says activist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, 34. "You may need a license to buy a gun, but in many places a man can buy acid from the corner store, throw it on a woman's face, and from then on she is the living dead." And that, shockingly, is exactly what happens every year to more than 1,200 women worldwide—victims of horrible, disfiguring acid attacks, most often at the hands of male neighbors, cousins, even husbands seeking retaliation or revenge. While such acts are outlawed in Obaid-Chinoy's native Pakistan, they often go unpunished. In fact, reports of the incidents have almost tripled since 2010. So the revolutionary filmmaker made it her mission to give women the most crucial form of self-defense available: a voice. Two years ago she and codirector Daniel Junge began persuading dozens of acid-violence survivors to tell their stories. In an amazing triumph, their resulting film, Saving Face, won this year's Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.

Anam Shehzadi, 17 (above, far left), is one of Pakistan's hundreds of victims. Last year a neighborhood boy threw acid on her; afterward, she says, "I used to cover my face and not want to meet anyone." Her shame was so great that her family removed all the mirrors from their house. To Shehzadi and many others, Saving Face's Oscar win—Pakistan's first—was a joyous validation. Plus, it's creating huge change in the country's legal system: Thanks in large part to the film, perpetrators in Pakistan's largest province are now subject to much harsher punishment, and acid violence is classified as what it is: a form of terrorism.

Meanwhile, Obaid-Chinoy is working with Project SAAVE (Stand Against Acid Violence), which partners with organizations to provide survivors with the surgeries and support they need to start over. Says Melanne Verveer, United States ambassador-at-large for global women's issues: "She will save countless lives."

How You Can Help

*For the sixth year, *Glamour's Women of the Year fund initative is raising money for an extraordinary cause. This year Glamour is working with Project SAAVE, Obaid-Chinoy's campaign, to bring medical care to acid-attack survivors. To donate, click here.